Waymo Resumes SF Service After 1-Hour Pause During Power Outage
Original: Waymo says San Francisco service has resumed after one-hour pause
Why This Matters
Repeated AV disruptions during outages are driving calls for stricter regulatory frameworks for autonomous vehicle operations.
Waymo temporarily paused its San Francisco robotaxi service on July 18, 2026, for approximately one hour amid a PG&E power outage affecting around 7,000 customers. The Alphabet-owned company said it paused to assess conditions and coordinate with local officials before resuming normal operations.
Waymo suspended its San Francisco robotaxi service on July 18, 2026, for roughly one hour in response to a power outage that impacted approximately 7,000 PG&E customers across the city. According to a screenshot shared on social media, the company notified riders that service was 'temporarily paused' and that 'freeway routes are unavailable.' A Waymo spokesperson told TechCrunch: 'We decided to pause service for approx. one hour to assess the scale of the power outage affecting a large portion of San Francisco and coordinate with local officials.' The company confirmed service has since resumed. This is not the first time power outages have disrupted Waymo operations. In December, multiple Waymo vehicles stalled on city streets during a blackout, and a similar incident disrupted traffic during a Fourth of July Golden Gate Bridge fireworks show. In response to these recurring incidents, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has called on state regulators to adopt tougher rules governing how autonomous vehicles operate during major planned or unplanned incidents.